


Nightmares

by runinism



Category: The Poppy War - R. F. Kuang
Genre: F/F, fuck u rinezha shippers, rinvenka
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:16:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28938369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runinism/pseuds/runinism
Summary: The 'I had a nightmare' trope except they hate each other, but are secretly in love.Kind of AU but not really
Relationships: Fang Runin/Sring Venka
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	Nightmares

**Author's Note:**

> This is for Cece, I hope you find it and don't hate it :) 
> 
> (Please lmk if any archive warnings apply, I couldn't think of any)

Rin was exhausted.

Jiang had decided that today, for some stupid reason, was the perfect day to send her on a 50 mile walk around the perimeter of the city of Sinegard; she had set off before the sun had risen and by the time she had returned, it was well past midnight.

She stumbled into the dorm, rubbing her eyes blearily. A quick glance around the room confirmed to her that Niang had not yet recovered from the particularly nasty bout of flu she’d come down with the previous week, as her bed was still empty.

Rin paused to stare at Venka as she crossed to her own bed- as much as she hated the girl, she couldn’t help but admire the way her silky hair spanned across her pillow, how soft and touchable her smooth, pale skin was, how her rosy pink lips rested in such a way that they seemed to be begging Rin to catch them with her own.

Really, she thought, as she pulled the thin bedsheet over herself, it was a shame that Venka was such a bitch.

*****

Rin suspected that it was the screaming that had woken her, though it could equally have been the crying or yelling. Still half asleep, she stumbled across to the source of the noise: Venka was huddled against the wall, her sheets tangled into a sweaty mess around her trembling body.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Her voice came out hoarse with sleep. Venka glared up at her through tear rimmed eyes.

“Fuck off Runin. Leave me alone, I’m fine.”

Rin rolled her eyes.

“I hate to break it to you,” she said, “but you really don’t look fine.”

“Why do you even care?” Venka sniffled, wiping the edges of her eyes with her sheet.

“Well first of all, you’re keeping me awake and I’m really not in the mood to be awake right now,”

This time it was Venka who rolled her eyes.

Her voice softened as she looked down at the crying girl, “And contrary to how it might seem, I don’t completely hate you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

There was a silence, broken only by Venka’s sniffs.

“I’m okay,” she said finally, “I- I get nightmares sometimes, they’re not usually this bad. I’m sorry for waking you.”

Rin’s features eased out of the scowl they usually bore. Tentatively, she reached out towards Venka, taking hold of her clammy, shaking hand, gripping more tightly when it became apparent that Venka was not going to protest.

Her eyes widened as Venka pulled her down to sit next to her on the bed. Their legs became entwined as she held on to Rin more tightly.

“Stay with me,” she whispered, “Please.”

Strong arms wrapped around her, in Rin’s unspoken agreement, and they lay together, their breaths rising and falling in unison, Venka gripping Rin’s hand as though she was her only anchor, Rin running her other hand through Venka’s sleek, shiny hair.

In that moment, there was no one else. Venka wasn’t the girl from a broken home, hiding under a public image of a perfect family. Rin wasn’t angry or tired or sad or any of the other emotions from the onslaught she had experienced throughout the course of her life.

In that moment, they were Rin and Venka and they were safe.

Eventually their breathing slowed, and they slept, curled together under Venka’s bedsheet. 

That was how Niang found them when she returned in the morning, confused at the sight of two girls who were supposed to hate each other, looking so much like they loved each other.


End file.
